Final 84-73 Good Guys

Women's Hoops is really on a good track. Pretty impressive!

https://gopack.com/news/2019/11/29/womens-basketball-12-nc-state-defeats-texas-to-open-play-at-rainbow-wahine-showdown.aspx

The 12th-ranked NC State women's basketball team (6-0) continued its perfect start to the 2019-20 season on Friday afternoon with an impressive 84-73 win over Texas (3-3) in its first game of the Rainbow Wahine Showdown inside the Stan Sheriff Center.

NC State led for 29:54 of the game's 40 minutes and only trailed for 6:18. The game was tied four times and only featured one lead change, which was the Wolfpack fighting back from a 10-2 deficit to take an 18-15 advantage with 1:18 remaining in the first quarter. Texas tied the game to end the first quarter (18-18) and then pulled level two more times in the second quarter, but when the Wolfpack claimed a 24-22 advantage on a Jada Boyd basket in the lane with 8:17 remaining in the first half, NC State held the lead for the remainder of the contest.

Senior Aislinn Konig (25 points on 9-of-13 shooting) and junior Kai Crutchfield (23 points and 7-of-8 from the FT line) had massive games, combining for 48 points in the victory. As a team, the Wolfpack shot 27-of-51 (.529) from the field and 11-of-22 (.500) from three-point range. Elissa Cunane and Boyd each scored nine points while Konig and Kayla Jones tied for a game high with five assists. Crutchfield's 23 points marked a new career high, besting her 17-point outing in the 2019 ACC Tournament semifinal against third-ranked Louisville. The junior also recorded new career highs in made three-pointers (4) and made free throws (7).

"We dug a big hole there early," NC State head coach Wes Moore said in his postgame interview with radio broadcaster Andrew Sanders. "I'm really proud of the way our team responded. They could have hung their heads (early), but instead showed a lot of guts and a lot of confidence. It's good to have some veterans out there who have won some games and believe they can get it done. Texas is a great team. They are going to be really, really good this year."

Sug Sutton led the Longhorns with 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting. She was joined in double figures by Holmes' double-double performance of 17 points and 10 rebounds. For the afternoon, NC State held Texas to 24-of-73 (.329) from the field and 5-of-22 (.227) from distance.

NC State returns to action against Hawaii on Saturday at 2:30 pm local (7:30 pm ET). The Wolfpack will then conclude the Rainbow Wahine Showdown on Sunday at 12 pm local (5 pm ET) against North Texas.

The 12th-ranked NC State women's basketball team (7-0) improved to 2-0 at the 2019 Rainbow Wahine Showdown on Saturday afternoon by defeating tournament host Hawaii (3-4) by a final score of 68-59 inside the Stan Sheriff Center.

Hawaii led 23-21 midway through the second quarter, but NC State used a 14-2 run to take a 35-25 advantage into the halftime break. The Wolfpack extended its lead to as many as 15 points (44-29) in the third quarter, but the Rainbow Wahine battled back and pulled within one point on two occasions in the fourth quarter. Leading 59-58 with 2:35 remaining in the game, NC State closed the contest on a 9-1 run to earn the victory.

Aislinn Konig and Elissa Cunane each scored 22 points in the victory, combing to shoot 18-of-31 (.580) from the field. Cunane also pulled down 11 rebounds to record her third double-double of the season and the seventh of her career. Her strong rebounding performance was indicative of NC State's team dominance on the glass, as the Wolfpack outrebounded the Rainbow Wahine by a 43-25 margin.

Julissa Tago of Hawaii led all players with 23 points on 8-of-21 shooting. As a team, the Rainbow Wahine shot 21-of-55 (.385) from the field and went 11-of-28 (.393) from three-point range.

"It doesn't matter who we are playing; we want to be the best version of NC State women's basketball that we can be," NC State head coach Wes Moore said in his postgame radio interview with broadcaster Andrew Sanders. "Give Hawaii credit: they came out with a lot of energy. I told our team that because we have a little number in front of our name, so all night on ESPN, it goes across the ticker (on the bottom of the screen), and it's out there on every publication, so you're going to get each team's best shot. They are looking for an opportunity to knock off a ranked team, so we have to make sure that we match that intensity."

"The win yesterday (against Texas) was emotional and we used a lot of energy. I played Elissa, and especially Ace, too much today. Elissa didn't play as many minutes yesterday because she was in foul trouble, but Ace has played a whole lot of minutes. I'm sure her family (in the crowd at these games in Hawaii) is very happy, but I would have rather gotten her some rest. Right now, she's kind of been my security blanket and has done a lot of good things for us."


NC State concludes play at the Rainbow Wahine Showdown on Sunday against North Texas. Tip-off between the Wolfpack and Mean Green is scheduled for 12 pm local (5 pm ET). After this game, NC State will return home to host ninth-ranked Maryland on Dec. 5 in the annual B1G/ACC Challenge.

https://gopack.com/news/2019/11/30/womens-basketball-12-wolfpack-earns-68-59-win-over-rainbow-wahine.aspx

The Wolfpack will take a break from competition for NC State University's finals week. The team returns to action at home on Sunday, December 15 against Elon. Tip-off is scheduled for 12 pm from Kay Yow Court inside Valvano Arena at Reynolds Coliseum. National television coverage will be provided by the ACC Network